Certifying Equality? Critical Reflections on Athena SWAN and equality accreditation

Pearce, R. (2017) Certifying Equality? Critical Reflections on Athena SWAN and equality accreditation. Project Report. Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, University of Warwick.

Abstract

On 17th February 2017, the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of Warwick hosted a workshop to reflect upon the challenges and opportunities afforded by equality accreditation schemes such as Athena SWAN. The event brought together approximately 50 attendees from 17 universities. This included administrators, academics and students who have worked on preparing institutional or departmental Athena SWAN and Race Equality Charter Mark submissions, individuals who have sat on decision panels, and scholars interested in gender equality, some of whom have conducted research into the operation of Athena SWAN. Eight presentations took place over the course of the day, and two ‘open’ sessions enabled all attendees to share their experiences of Athena SWAN. This report summarises the key themes that emerged over the course of the day, through the presentations and group discussions. We hope that it will be of interest to all colleagues involved in preparing and assessing Athena SWAN submissions, as well as those who work on the design and implementation of equality accreditation schemes. While it does include several concrete examples of good equality initiatives, it is intended primarily as a catalyst for further critical reflection.

• Item Type: Research Reports or Papers (Project Report)
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Pearce, Dr Ruth
• Authors: Pearce, R.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education > People, Place & Social Change
• Publisher: Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, University of Warwick
• Copyright Holders: Copyright: © 2017 The Author
• First Published: First published by Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, University of Warwick
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence